Dio: The Last In Line

While most people think that RJD came from the belfry of a castle in Anglia, his origins were far more mundane. He was born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a small mill / port city on the New Hampshire sea coast where I once lived. Soon after his family moved to the middle-of-nowhere in New York. It was here that he changed his name to “Dio” (after a mafia kingpin) and cut his teeth in the world of rock, playing on a series of obscure rockabilly singles.

I suspect that many will be surprised at the deep outpouring of grief surrounding the untimely passing of Ronnie James Dio. He is not the famous figure that Ozzy Osbourne is. However, Ronnie James Dio did something no other singer in metal or rock did quite as well as he did. Dio brought mythological significance and a sense of supernatural wonder to contemporary urban life. One need only listen carefully to the lyrics of “Mystery,” “Neon Knights” or “The Last in Line” to get a flavor for his abilities in this regard. Ronnie James Dio wasn’t a rock star, he was a working musician who occasionally assumed the trappings of one. I feel a great sense of sadness knowing that he has left us.

I had never given it much thought, but I didn’t realize he was nearly 70. Though I may not have been a fan of his, and really only liked his music insofar as it was something to laugh at or make fun of, his contributions to heavy metal cannot be denied. There are far more people in music that I would have rather seen go besides him. Coming about a month after the untimely death of Peter Steele, the metal world has truly lost two of its most recognizable figures. R.I.P. m/

GoodDoktorBad

Dio IS the man on the silver mountain…..or did he go to him?

Either way, Dio is one of the greatest singers of his genre, if not, one of the most influentual and inspiring.

I love that “angry opera” god personna.

I'll miss Dio….

Wreckingball

I remember being a high school freshman in 1980 and going to a store to buy Rainbow’s “On Stage,” my first Dio musical purchase. It was a magical moment, just holding the shrink wrapped two LP set and imagining the listening experience contained within. I was not disappointed! Dio was the standard for what a metal vocalist should sound like, no doubt about it. I’m glad I saw Heaven and Hell play when they first toured. They lived up to my expectations in a big way. Rest in peace Ronnie, you’ve earned it!

Wreckingball

I remember being a high school freshman in 1980 and going to a store to buy Rainbow's “On Stage,” my first Dio musical purchase. It was a magical moment, just holding the shrink wrapped two LP set and imagining the listening experience contained within. I was not disappointed! Dio was the standard for what a metal vocalist should sound like, no doubt about it. I'm glad I saw Heaven and Hell play when they first toured. They lived up to my expectations in a big way. Rest in peace Ronnie, you've earned it!